Benign, Minimally complex renal cyst in lower pole of right Kidney

[Twardy11]

Hey there, my first time posting here.

I've been having right flank pain for the past 4 months, getting worse as the weeks go by. I have a burning like sensation in the hole of my torso, my skin is really sore and sensitive to touch, this extends all down my legs to my toes. I have pain under my right rib which goes down towards my hip. Pain in my right shoulder, like a stabbing pain. between the shoulder blades also. It shoots up into my neck. some times I get it under my left rib in my back. I'm really fatigued all the time, i can't walk for more than ten minutes at a time. I first thought it was my Liver or my Gallbladder/Gallstones due to the area where I'm getting the pain. I've been having bladder and urinary tract pain but with no infection. I struggle to urinate in the mornings. My bloods came back fine. The doctor sent me for an ultrasound scan which said everything was fine apart from an accidental finding of a 14mm benign cyst in the lower pole of my right kidney which contains calcific components in it's wall. Could this really be what's causing all of my symptoms and should I be worried? I'm waiting for a urologist to get back to me to discuss further.

Thanks for reading.

[Michael__S]

Great that you are waiting to see a Urologist! I don't know how it works in UK but I would get a hold of a Nephrologist if you can, eve though a Urologist might be your primary specialist at the moment. Urologist are very good in their field and could very well solve all your problems but they don't know all the nuances of CKD as well as a Nephrologist. Think of it as a complement to your Urologist. I don't know what your wait time are but your GP should be able to at least get some bloodwork done and check your kidney functions in the meantime.

While we can't diagnose you, most of your symptoms could be in line with kidney issues. It might be acute (and bounce back mostly) or chronic (still manageable but not curable). But it is quite a complex disease and don't let your GP rule it out based on your GFR (filtration rate) and let the specialist do their works.

When they discovered that my right kidney was blocked they found a small cyst on my liver and a swollen lymph node if I remember correctly. They believed it could be cause by the issue with my kidney and it appear to have been right. While that kidney happened to have close to 0 function left and had to be removed later, the issue with the cyst appear to have resolved itself. So yes something relatively simple (in regard to the myriad of symptoms you are experiencing) could be the cause. Kidneys interact with many, many body functions in a very complex and nuanced way!

[Twardy11 in reply to Michael__S]

Hey there, thank you for the reply.

I'm very new to all this as I only found out I had a cyst 5 days ago. The Doctor didn't mention anything about CKD or AKD. I'm sure the Urologist will explain more and I will definitely look into a Nephrologist. I recently had my bloods done.

Serum sodium levels were normal

Serum potassium levels were normal

Serum urea levels normal

Serum creatinine were abnormal. Serum creatinine is low at 54 umol/L

On the doctors notes it says satisfactory for patient. They didn't calculate my eGFR for some reason. The bloods were done before I had the scan which found the cyst. I used an online GFR calculater which says normal or stage 1 CKD but depends on other factors. I think I need to speak to my doctor to further understand everything. I'm just sick of being in pain all the time.

Sorry to here about the problems with your kidney. Have you had much trouble since having one removed?

[Michael__S in reply to Twardy11]

I feel much better since. I am still plagued with inflammation and I do feel myself again, before it was constant fatigue and couldn't do much really. The rest is mostly readjusting to my new limitations. I got a bit less energy, less endurance but I can still exercise and do things. Just not as frequently or as intensely as I used to. I have been given about 10 years before going on dialysis and I feel very fortunate for that. Many times people discover they got kidney failure when they are a few months away from dialysis or they have to start it right away.

[Twardy11 in reply to Michael__S]

It's good that you found it early then.

[sparkie88]

it sounds more like a simple cyst and you may have stones either in the kidneys or it has moved out into your bladder and it is blocking your urine from flowing. Most commonly it is calcium stones that you will pass out but in rare occasion it can be chelestrol build up along your urinary track either case you can recover from it but do check with Dr to make sure everything else is ruled out especially liver spleen or tumors in vital organs or GI tract issues.

[Twardy11 in reply to sparkie88]

Thank you for replying.

Would my ultrasound scan not pick up Kidney stones then? They said my Spleen, Pancreas, Liver, Gallbladder and CBD, Bladder and Kidneys looked fine apart from the cyst on my right Kidney. Would a CT be the next option I wonder?

[sparkie88 in reply to Twardy11]

Not necessarily the stones may had moved along your urine tract CT scan is kind of useless here especially when contrast cannot be used. US and biopsy is enough to make a diagnosis Very rare cases they will get an MRI but more commonly a biopsy to determine damage or cancer etc they may do a upper respiratory scope to rule out genetic CKD thyroid issues etc if everything is good then your Dr may do a wait and see to see if you have CKD or AKI so keep a diary of your symptoms and let your Dr know if it persist or a new symptoms appear but don't worry about it will make your heart and kidneys work harder.

[Twardy11 in reply to sparkie88]

Thank you. I've started to keep a journal of my symptoms. The waiting times over here are ridiculous at the moment, so it's just a matter of waiting now.

[sparkie88 in reply to Twardy11]

Yes so relax but if you are in severepain please go to the hospital

[RosieWozie]

I read your post about a cyst in your right kidney and wanted to respond. For over 30 years I will about every 6 months get a sudden lower back ache accompanied by dull pulsing pain on my right flank side under my rib cage. Within an hour it turns into a severe urge to push and nothing but blood comes out when I urinate. And a lot of blood. I tell the doctor every time that it is a feeling of "the last stages of labor when delivering a baby. It is a horrific pain when this happens. When I get to the doctor I will either have a UTI/kidney infection, or nothing at all. Three years ago the doctor did an MRI and found a small, complicated cyst in my renal part of my right kidney. He does not think this is causing any problems in his opinion. I have never been diagnosed with any kidney disease, all my doctor does is treat the infection, if there is one, and says I am good to go. When these horrific episodes happen I will be wiped out with fatigue for days and now that I am getting older, it is becoming harder and harder for me to bounce back from this. I wonder if anyone has had any similar experience as this or if my cyst, although small could be a hemmorhagic cyst that bursts every few months. I am exhaused mentally, physically and now financially with all the trips to the ER every time. Anyone who would like to comment I would be thankful to hear from you. Thank you for reading my post.